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Where feet failed… Grace prevailed

June 7, 2014

My sister and I went to the beach about thirty minutes from my house last week. It was during the day when most people were at work and we had a nice stretch of the beach without anyone else there.

Swimming in the ocean has always frightened me. I don’t like the idea of wading into the murky waters not knowing what may be swimming in that water with me. I haven’t ventured out into the water since I was a kid, but the water felt so warm on my feet I couldn’t help myself.

I began to wade into the water. I didn’t want to go too far, so I knelt on my knees and the water came up to just below my shoulders. The waves came and I rolled gently toward the shore with them.

The further out I went, the more I was able to swim with the wave toward the shore. It was the closest thing to surfing I’ve ever done! Ha!

As each wave brought me closer to the shore, there wasn’t enough depth to swim in. When I was too close to the shore, the waves would crash against me harder and push me onto my knees into the rough sand. The waves pushed me and I hit the sand and slid so hard I skinned my knees.

The next day, I couldn’t stop thinking of the song “Oceans—Where Feet May Fail,” made popular by Hillsong United and Jesus Culture. The song began to take on a whole new meaning in my life.

I started thinking about how the ocean waves crashed me to my knees. My feet weren’t strong enough to keep me standing out in the power of that water. But when I was out further and my eyes were watching the waves, I could swim with them and rest in the rolling water.

I have to be honest and say there are only a few times in my life where I really stepped out and took a leap of

faith to trust that God could carry me through, no matter what happened. This past month has been one of those times. I had to depend on God because I was out in an ocean that was too big for me and I was powerless against it.

When I considered my circumstance, I felt I was going to drown and loose everything I had invested in. When I put my eyes on God, He steadied my heart and gave me the grace to trust in Him. It is in this ocean, where my feet failed, that my faith in God was made stronger—and I know now more than ever before that I am His and He is mine.

Rachael Hartman is a Christian author and publisher. She has worked as a full-time newspaper reporter, and as a freelance contributor to magazines. She writes high school Sunday school material for Word Aflame Press creating lessons for Project 7 (P7) student-led Bible Clubs, and Link247. She enjoys health and exercise, reading, art, and playing with her two dogs Darla and Danny. She owns Our Written Lives of Hope bookstore & publishing services. Check out her web site at www.owlofhope.com and link to her on Facebook.